Bale relocator mechanism for a bale wagon

ABSTRACT

A bale relocator mechanism for engaging and repositioning selected bales on a bale wagon. The bale relocator mechanism of the present invention is disclosed in the form of two species, each species being adapted for employment within a bale wagon having a first receiving table adapted to receive bales and transfer the bales received to a rearwardly disposed transfer table where the bales are accumulated into a tier, at which point the transfer table functions to transfer each tier to a rearwardly disposed load bed to form a stack of side-by-side tiers thereon. The first species comprises a hydraulically powered finger structure pivotally mounted about a longitudinally extending axis beneath the transfer table of the bale wagon and operative to move through an opening therein for engaging and laterally repositioning an overlying bale. A fence structure is situated along one side of said transfer table in spaced apart relationship to said finger structure to limit the lateral movement of the bale being repositioned. The second species comprises a mechanically actuated finger structure that is associated with the receiving table of the bale wagon. The finger structure of the second species is carried by a laterally extending connecting rod, the fingers of the finger structure being pivotally mounted thereon and aligned for engagement with a series of cams. The connecting rod is moved laterally, causing said fingers to contact said cams and move upwardly engaging and repositioning a bale thereover, by a bell crank engaging a trap door as said receiving table is pivoted upwardly to deposit bales thereon on said transfer table. As with the first species, a fence structure is provided along one side of said transfer table to maintain the outer ends of the bales repositioned within limits.

UllltGd States Patent 9] Butler et al.

541 BALE RELOCATOR MECHANISM FOR A BALE WAGON [75] Inventors: Gene R.Butler; Gary L. Sipe, both of Kingsburg, Calif.

[73] Assignee: Sperry Rand Corporation, New Holland, Pa.

[22] Filed: Dec. 22, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 210,731

[52] U.S. Cl. ..214/6 B, 100/7, 198/7 BL, I 214/518, 214/520 [51] Int.Cl ..B65g 57/32 [58] Field of Search ..2l4/6 B, 6 P, 518, 519, 520;198/223, 7 BL; 100/7 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS3,664,519 5/1972 Grey ..214/6 B Primary Examiner-Robert J. SparAttorney-John C. Thompson, Joseph A. Brown and James J. Kennedy [5 7]ABSTRACT first receiving table adapted to receive bales and transfer thebales received to a rearwardly disposed transfer table where the balesare accumulated into :1 tier, at which point the transfer tablefunctions to transfer each tier to a rearwardly disposed load bed toform a stack of side-by-side tiers thereon.

The first species comprises a hydraulically powered finger structurepivotally mounted about a longitudinally extending axis beneath thetransfer table of the bale wagon and operative to move through anopening therein for engaging and laterally repositioning an overlyingbale. A fence structure is situated along one side of said transfertable in spaced apart relationship to said finger structure to limit thelateral movement of the bale being repositioned.

The second species comprises a mechanically actuated finger structurethat is associated with the receiving table of the bale wagon. Thefinger structure of the second species is carried by a laterallyextending connecting rod, the fingers of the finger structure beingpivotally mounted thereon and aligned for engagement with a series ofcams. The-connecting rod is moved laterally, causing said fingers tocontact said cams and move upwardly engaging and repositioning a balethereover, by a bell crank engaging a trap door as said receiving tableis pivoted upwardly to deposit bales thereon on said transfer table. Aswith the first species, a fence structure is provided along one side ofsaid transfer table to maintain the outer ends of the bales repositionedwithin limits.

20 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAPRS ms 3.724.684

SHEET 2 OF 2 95 /4 mo 72 INVENTOR A GENE R. 50725? av QHRYL S/FE 5 M 7 rO ATTQRNEY BALE RELOCATOR MECHANISM FOR A BALE WAGON BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION The present invention relates to bale wagons and moreparticularly to a mechanism therefore for engaging and repositioningbales thereon.

Over the past years, the three-table bale wagon, such as that disclosedin US. Pat. No. 2,848,127 to G. E. Grey, has become by far the mostsuccessful commercial bale wagon. From a study of the Grey patentreferred to above, one will appreciate that the bale wagon shown thereinincludes three tandemly arranged tables, each pivotally mounted about atransverse axis relative to the longitudinal center line of the wagon.Bales of hay are picked up from the field and conveyed onto a firstreceiving table which pivots upwardly about its transverse axis todeposit the bales on a rearwardly disposed transfer table. The receivingtable continues to receive bales and deposit the bales received on thetransfer table until a tier of bales has been accumulated thereon. Oncea full tier of bales has been accumulated on the transfer table, thetransfer table is pivoted upwardly about its transverse axis, causingthe tier of bales to be deposited on a rearwardly disposed load bed. Thetransfer table continues to function as a bale accumulator, andcontinues to deposit the tiers formed thereon in succession on said loadbed until a stack of bales is formed thereon, the stack being comprised,of course, of a series of side-by-side tiers.

Once the stack has been formed on the load bed, the bale wagon can thendeposit the entire stack on the ground or on some other storage surfaceby pivoting the load bed about a transverse axis, allowing the stack tobe disposed in a general upright manner on the ground or in a storagearea.

Stacking has become a very important function of a bale wagon. To asignificant degree, the overall performance of a bale wagon andspecifically the quality of the stack and its ability to stand over longperiods of time and to be retrieved readily depends on the bales beingof uniform shape and having relatively constant dimensions. In thisregard, the three-table Grey type bale wagon includes a trip armadjacent one end of the receiving table opposite the pickup. The purposeof the trip arm is to actuate the first receiving table when theoutermost end of the first bale received engages the trip arm, causingthe first receiving table to pivot upwardly depositing the bales thereonon the front portion of the transfer table. Because of this, all of thebales along the trip side of the bale wagon are in very good alignment.But should the bale wagon pick up some short bales of less length thanthe standard length, and these bales happen to be placed on the side ofthe bale wagon opposite the first table trip arm, it follows that thereceiving table cycles without regard to the relative position of theouter end of the short bales. The net result is that the side of thestack opposite the trip arm side becomes very jagged and is notproperlyaligned. It will be appreciated that as long as all of the balesare of constant length this problem does not present itself. It is onlywhen there appears bales of non-standard length, particularly shortbales, on the side of the bale wagon pposite where the trip arm sensesthe first bale received by the receiving table during each of itscycles.

The problem of short and long bales has continued to exist with haybalers for some time, although there has been substantial work done inthe area of making a bale with precise dimensions each and every time abale is baled in the hay baler. But because of so many variables and thegeneral biological nature of hay coupled with the fact that anymechanism devised must not be overly complex or expensive, it appearsthat a solution to the bale length problem is not going to be immediate.

SUMMARY TI-IE INVENTION In view of the problem that currently exists inhay balers today relative to producing bales of constant uniform length,applicants have devised a bale relocator mechanism for employment withina bale wagon for engaging and repositioning selected bales to compensatefor any variance in length, so as to position the bales during theformation of a stack on a bale wagon such that each tier formed providesan adequate support for the tiers disposed thereabove, wherein when theentire stack is deposited on the ground the stack is not substantiallyuneven on either side and will stand up for long periods of time.

The present bale relocator mechanism of this invention is disclosed intwo species. The first species is adapted for employment on the transfertable of a bale wagon, particularly on the front and generally to oneside thereof. The first species comprises a finger structure disposedgenerally below said transfer table and adapted to be moved up throughan opening therein for engagement with an overlying bale. The fingerstructure is disposed on the side of the bale wagon opposite thereceiving table trip arm such that should the bale engaged be a shortbale, the finger structure moves the bale overlying the opening in thetransfer table outwardly against a fence structure. The fence structureacts as a means to limit the outward movement of the bale acted upon andassures that should the bale that is being engaged be of standard lengthor particularly long, then the bale is not moved outwardly past thevertical plane of the fence structure. Therefore, the stack being formedshould confine itself between a vertical plane of the trip mechanism andthe vertical plane of the fence structure disposed on the opposite sideof the bale wagon.

The second species of the bale relocator mechanism is disposed on thereceiving table as opposed to the first species, which was associatedwith the transfer table. In particular, the second species also includesa finger structure carried by a connecting rod and generally disposedbelow the receiving table. The finger structure of the second species isadapted to engage a pair of transversely aligned cams that are alignedwith the finger structure such that the lateral movement of theconnecting rod causes the finger structure to engage the cams and moveup through the receiving table, shifting the overlying bale outwardly toone side of the bale wagon against a fence structure.

In the second species, the connecting rod is actuated through a bellcrank that is engageable with a trap door as the receiving table ispivoted upwardly to deposit the bales thereon on the rearwardly disposedtransfer table. Therefore, each time the receiving table receives itscompliment of bales and the trip arm actuates the table for depositingthe bales thereon on the transfer table, the bell crank for actuatingthe finger structures of the bale relocator mechanism associated withthe receiving table is automatically actuated.

It is therefore the principle object of the present invention to providea bale relocator mechanism for a bale wagon for selectively engaging andrepositioning bales thereon.

A further object of the present invention resides in the provision of abale relocator mechanism for cooperating in the formation of a tier suchthat the tier formed is of uniform dimensions and that when placed in astack all of the sides of the stack are relatively even.

Another object of the present invention resides in the provision of abale relocator mechanism for a bale wagon that builds a stack bydisposing tiers of bales adjacent each other, and wherein said balerelocator mechanism acts to reposition short bales of each tier suchthat the width of all of the tiers making up the stack is relativelyconstant, thereby giving rise to a sturdy, well formed stack that willstand up in a storage area without tumbling apart and falling to theground.

A more particular object of the present invention is to provide thetransfer table of a three-table bale wagon with a finger structuredisposed on the side opposite the trip arm of the first receiving table,and to provide said finger structure with power means such that saidfinger structure is actuated through an opening in said transfer tablefor engagement with an overlying bale to reposition the same after thearray of bales received by the receiving table is transferred to theforward portion of the transfer table, thereby repositioning theoutermost bale on the opposite side of the trip arm outwardly to form atier of uniform width.

A further object of the bale relocator mechanism referred to in theabove paragraph is to provide within the finger structure a one-way backpivot upper member, such that when the finger structure is returned toan initial position the upper member will yield in response to itsengagement with the overlying bale.

Another object of the present invention resides in the provision of abale relocator mechanism for employment in conjunction with thereceiving table of a three table bale wagon, and wherein means toactuate that bale relocator mechanism in response to the upward pivotingmovement of the receiving table is provided, such that the particularbales being relocated are automatically acted upon each time thereceiving table is cycled.

A more particular object of the present invention resides in theprovision of cam means to actuate the finger structure of the balerelocator mechanism referred to in the above paragraph, and wherein saidcam means are transversely aligned with said finger structure andcarried by a laterally extending connecting rod such that the lateralmovement thereof results in the engagement of the cam means by thefinger means, causing the finger structure to pivot upwardly through theopening in the receiving table for engagement with an overlying bale orbales.

A further object of the present invention relies in the provision of afence structure disposed on one side of the bale wagon to limit theoutward repositional movement of each bale acted on by said balerelocator mechanism.

Another object of the present invention is to provide said fencestructure with an adjustable mounting structure, thereby permitting thefence structure to be disposed at various positions along side said balewagon.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from a study of the following description and the accompanyingdrawings which are merely illustrative of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of abale wagon having a bale relocator mechanism mounted thereon.

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view of a first species for a balerelocator mechanism with portions broken away for clarity.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the species shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a view taken through the line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of a bale wagon showing a secondspecies for the bale relocator mechanism.

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the second species shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the trap door assembly for the second speciesshown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

FIG. 8 is an end elevational view of the bale relocator mechanism,second species, mounted on the receiving table of a bale wagon.

With reference to the drawings, particularly FIG. 1, a three table balewagon of the Grey type shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,848,127,is indicated generally by the numeral 10. Bale wagon l0 basicallycomprises a generally longitudinally extending chassis structure 14supported by a pair of laterally spaced rear wheels 12. Extendingforwardly from the chassis structure 14 is a clevis 16 that readilyconnects the bale wagon 10 to a towing vehicle, not shown, for pullingthe wagon through the field.

Tandemly arranged along the chassis structure is a series of tables,these tables being referred to as a first receiving table 20, a secondtransfer table 22 and a third table or load bed 24. The receiving table,indicated generally by the numeral 20, includes a pair of transverselyextending longitudinally spaced rail sections 20a,20b. Although notparticularly shown, the receiving table is conventionally powered by ahydraulic cylinder and is pivotally mounted about a transverse axis formovement between a normal horizontal bale receiving position, as shownin FIG. 1, and a generally vertical position where the bales thereon aredeposited on the front portion of the transfer table 22.

Mounted on a front portion of the chassis 14 in an offset manner,adjacent one end of said receiving table 20, is a bale pickup 18 thatfunctions to engage bales of hay spaced along the field and to pick upthese bales of hay and convey them onto the receiving table 20.

It should be noted that the transfer table 22 is pivotally mounted abouta transverse axis and functions to accumulate bales into a tier as balesare transferred from the receiving table 20 thereto. Once thepredetermined number of bales have been deposited on the transfer table22, the table is then powered upwardly about its transverse axis by aconventional hydraulic power source. This upward pivoting of thetransfer table 22 results in the tier of bales formed thereon beingdeposited in an upright manner on the load bed 24. The tiers formed onthe transfer table 22 are continued to be transferred in succession tothe load bed 24 until a stack of generally upright side by side tierscompletely fill the floor of the load bed 24.

It will further be noted that the load bed includes retaining means 26fixed about the rear end thereof and extending generally upwardlytherefrom for retaining the stack of bales thereon. Once the load bedhas completely been loaded then the stack may be discharged onto theground or some other storage area by simply pivoting the load bed 24 upabout its transverse axis and depositing the entire stack on the groundor on the particular surface of the storage area. The depositing of theentire stack on the ground or on some other storage surface is commonlyreferred to in the art as stacking. For a detailed understanding and ap-BALE RELOCATOR MECHANISM FIRST SPECIES Viewing FIGS. 1-4, it will beobserved that a bale relocator mechanism, indicated generally by thenumeral 28, is shown therein and particularly associated with thetransfer table 22. It will be further noted that this first species isgenerally disposed beneath the transfer table about a from outer portionthereof. In particular, the bale relocator mechanism 28 basicallycomprises a finger structure 30, occasionally referred to as fingerrneans,radially extending from a rockshaft 32 and fixed thereto, therockshaft 32 being rotatably mounted in a pair of brackets 34 dependingdownwardly from the transfer table 22.

The finger structure 30 is actuated back and forth about the axis ofrockshaft 32, which extends generally parallel to the center line of thebale wagon, by a hydraulic cylinder 36. The hydraulic cylinder 36 isanchored to a downwardly depending bracket 38, as best seen in FIG. 3,and extends generally transversely therefrom where the rod end' of thecylinder 49 pivotally connects with an actuating plate 42 which is fixedto said rockshaft 32. Thus, by selectively actuating the cylinder 36,the finger means is stroked back and forth about the longitudinal axisof rockshaft 32 with the tip of the finger moving in an arcuate pathdenoted by the numeral 54. Because the radial length of the fingerstructure 30 is greater than the shortest distance between the rockshaft32 and the floor of the transfer table 22, it is necessary that anopening 23 (FIG. 2) be formed in the transfer table 22 such that theupper portion of the finger structure 30 may pass therethrough as thehydraulic cylinder 36 is actuated. Also, at this point it may be statedthat the opening 23 is just spaced rearwardly of the forward portion ofthe transfer table such that when bales are delivered thereto by thereceiving table, the outer bale on one side of the transfer tableoverlies the opening 23 such that upon actuation of the cylinder 36, andconsequently the finger structure 30, the bale overlying the opening 23is engaged and moved outwardly with respect to the transfer table 22.

To limit the outward movement of a particular bale acted upon by thebale relocator mechanism 28, a fence structure, indicated generally bythe numeral 56, is disposed along one side of the transfer table 22 inrelatively close proximity to the finger structure 30. Viewing the fencestructure in detail, it will be seen from FIG. 3 that an end plate 58 isfixed to a support member 60 that is adjustably secured to an attachingstructure 62. The length that the fence structure 56 extends from theside of the transfer table can be adjusted according to the operatorswishes and the standard length of bale being picked up by the bale wagon10.

From FIG. 4, a detail drawing is shown of the finger structure 30. Itwill be seen that the finger structure 30 includes upper and lowermembers 30a,30b respectfully, with the upper and lower members beingpivotally secured about their inner ends by pivot pin 48. Also, it canbe seen that the members 30a,30b are of a general channel shape andparticular notice should be directed to a square cut-out 50 (FIG. 2)formed within an upper portion of the lower member 30b. This cut-outportion 50 allows theupper member 30a to pivot approximatelycounterclockwise, as shown in FIG. 4, but is particularly formed tolimit the upper member 30a from pivoting in a clockwise direction fromthe generally radial aligned position, shown in solid lines of FIG. 4.To return the upper member 30a to the radial position, a spring 52 isinterconnected between points on the upper and lower members of thefinger structure 30. Thus, to reposition a bale the hydraulic cylinder36 is actuated, causing the piston rod 40 to be extended and causing therockshaft 32 to rotate counterclockwise, as shown in FIG. 4. Thecounterclockwise rotation of the rockshaft 32 causes the fingerstructure 30 to also rotate counterclockwise,

resulting in the upper portion of the upper member 300 passing throughthe opening 23 in the transfer table 22. As the upper portion of theupper member 30a passes through the opening 23, a bale overlying theopening is engaged and repositioned outwardly. If the bale acted upon isof such length that the outer end thereof engages the fence structure 56before the cylinder rod is fully extended, then the top tip of the uppermember 30a continues to pass under the stopped bale. Alternately,pressure sensitive means may be employed to limit the extension of therod end of the cylinder when the bale engages the end member 58. As thepiston rod 40 and finger structure 30 are retracted to their initialposition, as shown in FIG. 3, the upper member 30a engages the balestill overlying the opening 23, and to avoid reshifting the bale back toits initial position, the

upper member 30a pivots counterclockwise as shown in phantom in FIG. 4,thereby not interferring with the bale.

Not shown in this particular disclosure is the manner of controlling thecylinder 36, but it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that aseparate control valve may be provided to control the actuation of thiscylinder as desired. Also, it is possible to use the back pressure fromthe first table hydraulic power source, not shown, to actuate hydrauliccylinder 36.

BALE RELOCATOR MECHANISM SECOND SPECIES With particular reference toFIGS. -8, the bale relocator mechanism of the present invention is shownin a second species. Basically the second species entails the placing ofthe bale relocator mechanism below the two transversely extending railsa, 20b of the receiving table 20. In particular, it will be noted thatthe bale relocator mechanism of the second species comprises a bellcrank 72 pivotally mounted to a mounting member 76 depending from therear rail 20b. The bell crank 72 includes an actuator end 72a (FIG. 5)which also includes a roller 72b rotatively mounted thereon. The bellcrank 72 pivots about a generally vertical axis 74 extending through themounting member 76. Transversely spaced from the bell crank 72 is astabilizer arm 78 which is pivotally mounted about a generally verticalaxis 80 which extends generally parallel with the axis of rotation 74 ofthe bell crank 72.

The bell crank 72 and the stabilizer arm 78 include openings therein forreceiving opposite curled ends of a connecting rod 82. The connectingrod 82 includes a plurality of laterally spaced finger structures,indicated generally by the numeral 84. With particular reference to thisfinger structure, it will be seen from FIG. 6 that they are of generallytriangular shape and are pivotally mounted to the connecting rod about apivot axis 88. Rotatively mounted about one point of each triangularshaped plate 86 is a roller 90. The rollers 90 are aligned forengagement with a particular cam surface 92 which is formed on cammounts 94 fixed to the underside of the rear rail 20b and extendingforwardly therefrom. Therefore, as shown in phantom in FIG. 6, as theconnecting rod 82 is shifted to the right, the rollers 90 engage the camsurfaces 92 causing the triangular plate 86 to pivot upwardly betweenthe two rails 20a, 20b of the receiving table for engagement with anoverlying bale, similar in principle to the manner of the first speciesdiscussed above. By shifting the connecting rod 82 to the left, asviewed in FIG. 6, the center of gravity of the triangular shaped platescauses them to pivot back downwardly below the upper surface of thereceiving table 20.

As was provided with the first species, a fence structure indicatedgenerally by the numeral 106 is provided on the transfer table toconfine the outer ends of the bales of the tier being formed withinprescribed limits. The fence structure 106 is also adjustable laterallyto conform with the operators wishes and the standard length of thebales being picked up by the bale wagon. The fence structure 106 of thesecond species does, however, differ slightly from the fence structure56 of the first species. In this regard, it will be noted that the fencestructure 106 of the second species basically comprises a rail structure106a that extends along one side of the transfer table includes a frontportion 106a angled outwardly. This angled portion l06b of the fencestructure of the second species assures that bales longer than thestandard length will be guided inwardly to fall within the boundsdefined by the rail structure 106a. Thus, it is seen that as thereceiving table 20 is pivoted upwardly to deposit bales thereon on thefront portion of the transfer table 22, that the angled portion l06b ofthe fence structure 106 will cause the longer bales to moveappropriately inwardly.

To actuate the bale relocator mechanism of the second species, a trapdoor, indicated generally by the numeral 96, is fixed to the chassisstructure and extends therefrom for engagement with the roller 72b ofthe bell crank 72. Since the bell crank is carried by the receivingtable 20, the roller will engage the trap door as the receiving table ispivoted upwardly. The engagement of roller 72b with the trap door causesthe bell crank to pivot about its pivot axis 74. The pivoting of thebell crank 72, of course, results in the connecting rod 82 being shiftedto the right, as viewed in FIG. 6. The shifting to the right of theconnecting rod 82 causes the rollers on the finger structures to engagethe cams 92 and to reposition the particular bale overlying the fingerstructure on the receiving table 20. Once the receiving table 20 hasmoved up through an initial portion of its cycle, the roller 72b of thebell crank 72 rolls past the trap door 96. A spring 75 is interconnectedbetween said bell crank 72 and a point on the rear rail 20b to bring thebell crank back to its initial position as shown in the FIG. 5. As thereceiving table 20 pivots back downwardly towards its general horizontalposition the trap door 96 is spring biased by spring 97 wound aroundshaft 100 to allow the bell crank to move therepast.

Therefore, it is seen that the bale relocator mechanism of the secondspecies is actuated by the cycling of the receiving table and thereforeis done automatically without the requirement that the operator soactuate.

The terms, upper, lower, forward, rearward, etc., have been used hereinmerely for the convenience of the foregoing specification and in theappended claims to describe the bale relocator mechanism for a balewagon and its parts as oriented in the drawings. It is to be understood,however, that these terms are in no way limiting to the invention sincethe bale relocator mechanism for a bale wagon may obviously be disposedin many different positions when in actual use.

The present invention, of course, may be carried out in other specificways than those herein set forth without departing from the spirit andessential characteristics of the invention. The present embodiments are,therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and notrestrictive, and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalencyrange are intended to be embraced herein.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim 1. In a bale wagonhaving a generally longitudinally extending wheel mounted chassis, aload bed pivotally mounted about a transverse axis to said chassis andhaving power means associated therewith for pivoting saId load bed froma generally normal horizontal position to a vertical position, tierforming means mounted adjacent said load bed and adapted to receivebales thereon and to form the bales into tiers, means for depositing thetiers formed on said tier forming means on said load bed to form a stackthereon, a bale relocating mechanism associated with said tier formingmeans for repositioning selected bales on said tier forming means, saidbale relocating mechanism comprising:

a. finger means,

b. means for mounting said finger means for lateral movement relative tosaid tier forming means for selectively engaging and repositioning abale situated on said tier forming means,

0. a fence stationed along one side of said tier forming means andlaterally spaced from said finger means for limiting the repositionalmovement of the bale being acted upon by said finger means, and i d.means for actuating said finger means for engagement with a balesituated on said tier forming means.

2. A bale wagon, as recited in claim 1, wherein said tier forming meanscomprises a transfer table pivotally mounted about a transverse axisadjacent said load bed, and a receiving table pivotally mounted about atransverse axis forwardly of said transfer table, said receiving table,transfer table and load rack arranged in tandem with said receivingtable adapted to receive bales and deposit the received bales on saidtransfer table to form a tier of bales thereon, and said transfer tableadapted to pivot upwardly to deposit each tier formed thereon on saidload rack to form a stack, and wherein said finger means is mountedbeneath said transfer table and is operatively disposed thereunder tomove through an opening in said transfer table for engaging andrepositioning a bale overlying said opening.

3. A bale wagon, as recited in claim 1, wherein said tier forming meansincludes a transfer table mounted about a transverse axis forwardly ofsaid load bed and a receiving table pivotally mounted about a transverseaxis forwardly of said transfer table, said receiving table, transfertable and load bed being tandemly arranged such that all threecooperateto receive bales and form a stack on said load bed, saidcooperation including the receiving of bales by said receiving table andthe depositing of said received bales by the receiving table on saidtransfer table wherein a tier of bales is accumulated thereon anddeposited on said load bed to form a stack of side by side generallyupstanding tiers on said load bed, and wherein said bale repositioningmechanism is disposed on said receiving table and wherein said actuatingmeans is operatively connected to said finger means for actuating saidfinger means in response to the upward pivotal movement of saidreceiving table, whereby at least one bale thereon is engaged andrepositioned against said fence station along one side of tier formingmeans.

4. In a bale wagon having a wheel mounted chassis structure, a load bedpivotally mounted to said chassis structure, tier forming means disposedadjacent said load bed and adapted to receive and accumulate balesthereon to form a tier of bales, means for transferring the formed tierson said tier forming means to said load bed, a bale relocating mechanismfor engaging and repositioning selected bales on said tier formingmeans, comprising:

a. finger means,

b. means for mounting said finger means for lateral back and forthmovement relative to said tier forming means for selectively engagingand repositioning at least one selected bale on said tier forming means,and

0. means for actuating said finger means for selective engagement withsaid bale to reposition the same.

5. A bale wagon, as recited in claim 4, wherein a fence structure issituated along one side of said tier forming means and laterally spacedfrom said finger means, said fence structure being provided thereon tolimit the lateral extension of the bales repositioned by said fingermeans.

6. A bale wagon, as recited in claim 4, wherein said tier forming meansincludes a table support, and wherein said means for mounting saidfinger means includes means for pivotally mounting said finger meansabout a longitudinal axis relative to said bale wagon, and wherein saidaxis is spaced below said table support and moveable through an openingformed therein for engagement with a bale overlying said opening uponthe actuation of said finger means.

7. A bale wagon, as recited in claim 4, wherein said means for actuatingsaid finger means includes a hydraulically powered cylinder.

8. A bale wagon, as recited in claim 4, wherein said finger meansincludes first and second members pivotally secured together about innerportions of each member, and wherein one of said members is springbiased to a normal position of general radial alignment with said othermember but is yieldable in one direction for returning to an initialposition without returning the repositioned bale to its initialposition.

9. A bale wagon, as recited in claim 4, wherein said tier forming meansincludes a support table and wherein said finger means are normallyspaced below an opening therein; said means for mounting said fingermeans including a transversely extending support structure having saidfinger means pivotally mounted thereon; and wherein said actuating meansincludes cam means aligned with said finger means, and means forshifting said support member laterally, causing said finger means toengage said cam means and pivot said finger means upwardly through saidopening, engaging and repositioning an overlying bale.

10. A bale wagon, as recited in claim 4, wherein said means foractuating said finger means includes a pivotally mounted bell crankhaving one end pivotally connected to said transversely extendingsupport member and the other end disposed adjacent a trip that is fixedto said chassis structure such that upon the pivotal movement of saidsupport table, said trip pivots said bell crank causing said supportmember to be shifted laterally, causing the finger means to engage andreposition an overlying bale.

11. A bale wagon, as recited in claim 10, wherein biasing means isinterconnected between said chassis structure and said bale relocatormechanism for returning said finger means to an initial position aftereach bale is relocated.

12. A bale wagon, as recited in claim 11, wherein said biasing meansincludes a spring fixed at one extremity to said chassis structure andconnected at the other extremity to said pivotally mounted bell crank.

13. A bale relocator mechanism for a bale wagon comprising: a generallyflat support table having an opening therein; means for transferringbales to said support table such that at least one bale transformedthereto lies over said opening; a finger means pivotally mounted beneathsaid support table about a longitusituated about one side of saidsupport table and laterally spaced from said finger means; and means forpivoting said finger means about said longitudinal axis, causing aportion of said finger means to move through the opening in said supporttable, engaging and repositioning the overlying bale against said fencestructure.

14. A bale wagon as recited in claim 13, wherein said support tableforms a transfer medium between a receiving table and a load bed, bothpivotally mounted about separate transverse axes, whereby said supporttable functions to accumulate bales thereon and transfer the bales inthe form of tiers to said load bed.

15. A bale wagon, as recited in claim 13, wherein said fence structureincludes a generally vertically disposed stop member having a supportmember fixed thereto and adjustably secured to said support table suchthat the relative position of said fence structure may be adjustedrelative to said support table and said finger means.

16. A bale wagon, as recited in claim 13, wherein said finger meansincludes upper and lower members pivotally secured together, said uppermember being maintained in general radial alignment with said lowermember when engaging and repositioning a bale, said upper member beingfurther yieldable when returning to an initial position such that theengagement of the upper member with an overlying bale results in saidupper member pivoting and thereby being ineffective to move the alreadyrepositioned bale overlying said opening, said upper member furtherbeing spring biased to assume the radial aligned position for engagingand repositioning a bale as it moves from said initial position.

17. A bale wagon as recited in claim 13, wherein said means foractuating said finger means comprises a hydraulic power cylinderanchored to said support table and having its rod end operativelyconnected to said finger means for pivoting said finger means back andforth about said longitudinal axis.

18. A bale relocator mechanism for a bale wagon comprising: a supporttable having an opening therein and pivotally mounted for movementbetween a generally horizontally receiving position and a verticaldepositing position; means for pivoting said support table from saidhorizontal position to said vertical position; an elongated rodstructure moveably mounted beneath said opening in said support table; aplurality of finger means laterally spaced and pivotally mounted on saidelongated rod structure; cam means fixed relative to said support tableand aligned with said finger means for engagement therewith, the camsbeing spaced such that the engagement of said cams with said fingermeans causes said finger means to pivot up through said support tablefor engagement with a bale overlying said opening therein; and means foractuating said elongated rod structure for back and forth lateralmovement in response to the upward pivoting of said support table fromsaid horizontal position to said vertical position.

19. A bale wagon, as recited in claim 18, wherein said means foractuating said elongated rod structure in response to the pivoting ofsaid support table includes a bell crank pivotally mounted andengageable with a trip arm extending from a chassis structure supportingthe bale wa on and enerall underl in said su ort table. 20. 1% balerefiocator mechan isrfi for a le wagon comprising: a generallylongitudinally extending wheel supported chassis, a load bed pivotallymounted about a transverse axis to the rear portion of said chassis andtiltable from generally horizontal load receiving position to agenerally vertical stacking position; a transfer table pivotally mountedabout a transverse axis forwardly of said load bed and adapted toreceive bales thereon to accumulate the bales received into a tier andto pivot from a generally horizontal position to a vertical positionwhere said tiers are deposited on said load bed; a receiving tablepivotally mounted about a transverse axis forwardly of said transfertable and adapted to receive bales and deposit said bales in successionto the forward portion of said transfer table; a bale pickup deviceoffset to one side of said chassis structure adjacent one end of saidreceiving table for picking up bales from the field and delivering thepicked up bales to said receiving means; the improvement comprising abale relocator mechanism for association with said transfer tablecomprising a generally elongated finger pivotally mounted about alongitudinal axis below said transfer table and moveable in an arcuatepath from an initial position, through an opening in said transfer tablewhere a bale overlying said opening is engaged by said finger means andshifted laterally towards an outer side of said transfer table; saidfinger being further operatively to return to said initial position andbeing pivotally mounted, said finger member being comprised tosub-members pivotally secured together such that the upper sub-memberwill yield when contacting the already repositioned bale as the fingerreturns to said initial position; a fence structure disposed about theouter side of said support table and spaced laterally from said fingerfor limiting the outer protrusion of the bale being repositioned; anhydraulic cylinder means anchored beneath said support table andoperatively connected to said finger for actuating said finger toreposition selected bales.

* III I

1. In a bale wagon having a generally longitudinally extending wheelmounted chassis, a load bed pivotally mounted about a transverse axis tosaid chassis and having power means associated therewith for pivotingsaId load bed from a generally normal horizontal position to a verticalposition, tier forming means mounted adjacent said load bed and adaptedto receive bales thereon and to form the bales into tiers, means fordepositing the tiers formed on said tier forming means on said load bedto form a stack thereon, a bale relocating mechanism associated withsaid tier forming means for repositioning selected bales on said tierforming means, said bale relocating mechanism comprising: a. fingermeans, b. means for mounting said finger means for lateral movementrelative to said tier forming means for selectively engaging andrepositioning a bale situated on said tier forming means, c. a fencestationed along one side of said tier forming means and laterally spacedfrom said finger means for limiting the repositional movement of thebale being acted upon by said finger means, and d. means for actuatingsaid finger means for engagement with a bale situated on said tierforming means.
 2. A bale wagon, as recited in claim 1, wherein said tierforming means comprises a transfer table pivotally mounted about atransverse axis adjacent said load bed, and a receiving table pivotallymounted about a transverse axis forwardly of said transfer table, saidreceiving table, transfer table and load rack arranged in tandem withsaid receiving table adapted to receive bales and deposit the receivedbales on said transfer table to form a tier of bales thereon, and saidtransfer table adapted to pivot upwardly to deposit each tier formedthereon on said load rack to form a stack, and wherein said finger meansis mounted beneath said transfer table and is operatively disposedthereunder to move through an opening in said transfer table forengaging and repositioning a bale overlying said opening.
 3. A balewagon, as recited in claim 1, wherein said tier forming means includes atransfer table mounted about a transverse axis forwardly of said loadbed and a receiving table pivotally mounted about a transverse axisforwardly of said transfer table, said receiving table, transfer tableand load bed being tandemly arranged such that all three cooperate toreceive bales and form a stack on said load bed, said cooperationincluding the receiving of bales by said receiving table and thedepositing of said received bales by the receiving table on saidtransfer table wherein a tier of bales is accumulated thereon anddeposited on said load bed to form a stack of side by side generallyupstanding tiers on said load bed, and wherein said bale repositioningmechanism is disposed on said receiving table and wherein said actuatingmeans is operatively connected to said finger means for actuating saidfinger means in response to the upward pivotal movement of saidreceiving table, whereby at least one bale thereon is engaged andrepositioned against said fence station along one side of tier formingmeans.
 4. In a bale wagon having a wheel mounted chassis structure, aload bed pivotally mounted to said chassis structure, tier forming meansdisposed adjacent said load bed and adapted to receive and accumulatebales thereon to form a tier of bales, means for transferring the formedtiers on said tier forming means to said load bed, a bale relocatingmechanism for engaging and repositioning selected bales on said tierforming means, comprising: a. finger means, b. means for mounting saidfinger means for lateral back and forth movement relative to said tierforming means for selectively engaging and repositioning at least oneselected bale on said tier forming means, and c. means for actuatingsaid finger means for selective engagement with said bale to repositionthe same.
 5. A bale wagon, as recited in claim 4, wherein a fencestructure is situated along one side of said tier forming means andlaterally spaced from said finger means, said fence structure beingprovided thereon to limit the lateral extension of the balesrepositioned by said finger means.
 6. A bale wagon, as recited in claim4, wherein said tier forming means includes a table support, and whereinsaid means for mounting said finger means includes means for pivotallymounting said finger means about a longitudinal axis relative to saidbale wagon, and wherein said axis is spaced below said table support andmoveable through an opening formed therein for engagement with a baleoverlying said opening upon the actuation of said finger means.
 7. Abale wagon, as recited in claim 4, wherein said means for actuating saidfinger means includes a hydraulically powered cylinder.
 8. A bale wagon,as recited in claim 4, wherein said finger means includes first andsecond members pivotally secured together about inner portions of eachmember, and wherein one of said members is spring biased to a normalposition of general radial alignment with said other member but isyieldable in one direction for returning to an initial position withoutreturning the repositioned bale to its initial position.
 9. A balewagon, as recited in claim 4, wherein said tier forming means includes asupport table and wherein said finger means are normally spaced below anopening therein; said means for mounting said finger means including atransversely extending support structure having said finger meanspivotally mounted thereon; and wherein said actuating means includes cammeans aligned with said finger means, and means for shifting saidsupport member laterally, causing said finger means to engage said cammeans and pivot said finger means upwardly through said opening,engaging and repositioning an overlying bale.
 10. A bale wagon, asrecited in claim 4, wherein said means for actuating said finger meansincludes a pivotally mounted bell crank having one end pivotallyconnected to said transversely extending support member and the otherend disposed adjacent a trip that is fixed to said chassis structuresuch that upon the pivotal movement of said support table, said trippivots said bell crank causing said support member to be shiftedlaterally, causing the finger means to engage and reposition anoverlying bale.
 11. A bale wagon, as recited in claim 10, whereinbiasing means is interconnected between said chassis structure and saidbale relocator mechanism for returning said finger means to an initialposition after each bale is relocated.
 12. A bale wagon, as recited inclaim 11, wherein said biasing means includes a spring fixed at oneextremity to said chassis structure and connected at the other extremityto said pivotally mounted bell crank.
 13. A bale relocator mechanism fora bale wagon comprising: a generally flat support table having anopening therein; means for transferring bales to said support table suchthat at least one bale transformed thereto lies over said opening; afinger means pivotally mounted beneath said support table about alongitudinal axis extending generally parallel to the longitudinalcenter line of said bale wagon; a fence structure situated about oneside of said support table and laterally spaced from said finger means;and means for pivoting said finger means about said longitudinal axis,causing a portion of said finger means to move through the opening insaid support table, engaging and repositioning the overlying baleagainst said fence structure.
 14. A bale wagon as recited in claim 13,wherein said support table forms a transfer medium between a receivingtable and a load bed, both pivotally mounted about separate transverseaxes, whereby said support table functions to accumulate bales thereonand transfer the bales in the form of tiers to said load bed.
 15. A balewagon, as recited in claim 13, wherein said fence structure includes agenerally vertically disposed stop member having a support member fixedthereto and adjustably secured to said support table such that therelative position of said fence structure may be adjusted relative tosaid support table and said finger means.
 16. A bale wagon, as recitedin claim 13, wherein said finger means includes upper and lower memberspivotally secured together, said upper member being maintained ingeneral radial alignment with said lower member when engaging andrepositioning a bale, said upper member being further yieldable whenreturning to an initial position such that the engagement of the uppermember with an overlying bale results in said upper member pivoting andthereby being ineffective to move the already repositioned baleoverlying said opening, said upper member further being spring biased toassume the radial aligned position for engaging and repositioning a baleas it moves from said initial position.
 17. A bale wagon as recited inclaim 13, wherein said means for actuating said finger means comprises ahydraulic power cylinder anchored to said support table and having itsrod end operatively connected to said finger means for pivoting saidfinger means back and forth about said longitudinal axis.
 18. A balerelocator mechanism for a bale wagon comprising: a support table havingan opening therein and pivotally mounted for movement between agenerally horizontally receiving position and a vertical depositingposition; means for pivoting said support table from said horizontalposition to said vertical position; an elongated rod structure moveablymounted beneath said opening in said support table; a plurality offinger means laterally spaced and pivotally mounted on said elongatedrod structure; cam means fixed relative to said support table andaligned with said finger means for engagement therewith, the cams beingspaced such that the engagement of said cams with said finger meanscauses said finger means to pivot up through said support table forengagement with a bale overlying said opening therein; and means foractuating said elongated rod structure for back and forth lateralmovement in response to the upward pivoting of said support table fromsaid horizontal position to said vertical position.
 19. A bale wagon, asrecited in claim 18, wherein said means for actuating said elongated rodstructure in response to the pivoting of said support table includes abell crank pivotally mounted and engageable with a trip arm extendingfrom a chassis structure supporting the bale wagon and generallyunderlying said support table.
 20. A bale relocator mechanism for a balewagon comprising: a generally longitudinally extending wheel supportedchassis, a load bed pivotally mounted about a transverse axis to therear portion of said chassis and tiltable from generally horizontal loadreceiving position to a generally vertical stacking position; a transfertable pivotally mounted about a transverse axis forwardly of said loadbed and adapted to receive bales thereon to accumulate the balesreceived into a tier and to pivot from a generally horizontal positionto a vertical position where said tiers are deposited on said load bed;a receiving table pivotally mounted about a transverse axis forwardly ofsaid transfer table and adapted to receive bales and deposit said balesin succession to the forward portion of said transfer table; a balepickup device offset to one side of said chassis structure adjacent oneend of said receiving table for picking up bales from the field anddelivering the picked up bales to said receiving means; the improvementcomprising a bale relocator mechanism for association with said transfertable comprising a generally elongated finger pivotally mounted about alongitudinal axis below said transfer table and moveable in an arcuaTepath from an initial position, through an opening in said transfer tablewhere a bale overlying said opening is engaged by said finger means andshifted laterally towards an outer side of said transfer table; saidfinger being further operatively to return to said initial position andbeing pivotally mounted, said finger member being comprised tosub-members pivotally secured together such that the upper sub-memberwill yield when contacting the already repositioned bale as the fingerreturns to said initial position; a fence structure disposed about theouter side of said support table and spaced laterally from said fingerfor limiting the outer protrusion of the bale being repositioned; anhydraulic cylinder means anchored beneath said support table andoperatively connected to said finger for actuating said finger toreposition selected bales.